Lion King - Lyceum Theatre Review
Sadly I only have one photograph to show you guys as there was a strictly ‘no photographs’ and ‘no videos’ rule! I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing, as you don’t want spoilers or teasers before seeing the show with your own two eyes.
Lion King is a movie we all grew up with and I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t like the Lion King, if they do, what heartless bastards! The question is, would the theatre live up to the LK hype? Of course, the show isn’t new, with the Lyceum theatre being it’s home for 17 years! So really, it was about time I went to see it, being a musical fan and all!
Just before the curtains went up, there was an excited murmur amongst the crowds, with high expectations with the show about to start. When the ‘ARMMMM MA KENYAAAAA…..” line rang throughout the acoustics of the theatre, I instinctively knew, it was going to be a great show. Throughout, I felt childhood nostalgia and (happy) tingles in my body.
The set was absolutely stunning, transporting the audience into the plains and jungles of Africa. The costumes were really well thought out, and the actors emulated their animal characters with such grace. The characters Timon, Pumba and Zazu, sounded exactly like the original cast from the LK film. It is probably also the first musical I’ve seen where there has been a lot of humour. I was giggling like a silly school girl, throughout.
My favourite character was the actress who played the baboon; though most of her lines were not in English, she managed to make the audience laugh on several occasions, which isn’t an easy feat. Ironically, I think the weakest characters were the main; being Simba and Nala but still, acceptable. Best singers were Mufasa, the baboon character and the backing singers!
The Lyceum theatre itself is a beautifully classical theatre with modern facilities. One of the things I hate most about theatres is the queueing for everything, especially loos. Here, you have to queue but there are a lot of cubicles and it’s very modern. Look, its the simple things that matter in life right?
I left the theatre humming some of my favourite tunes, whilst swinging my merchandise bag on the way out! I would highly recommend seeing this, and will definitely be back to see it a second, maybe third time!
Until next time xo
